Yusuf Chowdhury-Rajshahi: Potato is a winter crop. The leaves of the potato fields in various unions of the upazila are growing day by day, turning the fields green. The fields are filled with the footsteps of farmers in a celebration of greenery across the fields. Four to five varieties of potatoes, Diamond, Cardinal, Alouette, Shate, have been cultivated across the upazila. Farmers and workers are busy taking care of the potato fields planted across a vast area. Some of them are cleaning the weeds in the field, applying fertilizers, irrigation, spraying pesticides to protect the crops from fungi and diseases. In this way, the work of tending potato fields in the upazila is going on in the field in the field in the hope of good harvest every day. Due to the high price of potatoes in the market, the target of potato cultivation has increased this time. However, due to the high cost of potato cultivation, they will face losses if they do not get the right market price for the potatoes they produce. Even then, the farmers are hoping to make a profit if the weather and market price are good.
Potato farmers in the upazila said that if the weather is favorable and there is no major outbreak of diseases and pests, they dream of making a profit from potato cultivation. These potatoes can be harvested in a short period of 55 to 60 days. They have planted early-maturing potatoes. There is a possibility that the potato yield will be higher due to the good quality of the plants. However, they are also worried about the market for the potatoes produced due to the high cost of land tender, labor wages, irrigation, fertilizer and pesticides for potato cultivation. If there is no disaster or disease, the farmers are hoping to get the expected yield.
On-site investigation shows that the farmers are busy taking care of the potato plants, including removing and removing soil from the rows of potato plants, irrigating the land, clearing weeds and applying pesticides. Potato cultivation is one of the most profitable crops in the region. In order to increase the production and quality of potatoes, the assistant agricultural officers go to the field level and discuss with the potato farmers and provide necessary advice on controlling various diseases and pests of other crops. With the help of information technology and advice from agricultural officers and supervision of the administration, marginal farmers are also seeing colorful dreams of potato cultivation. Farmers are working tirelessly in the field to realize that dream. They said that the farmers are also happy with the overall cooperation and advice of agricultural officers at the field level.
It is worth mentioning that at the beginning of the season, the Upazila Administration and Upazila Agricultural Extension Department were seen working to break the syndicate with normal supply of potato seeds and fertilizers among the farmers, holding meetings with potato seed traders, cold storage authorities, fertilizer traders, political leaders and activists, and to ensure balanced distribution and control of seeds and fertilizers among the grassroots marginal farmers. Poba Upazila Executive Officer Md. Sohrab Hossain, Assistant Commissioner (Land) Md. Zahid Hasan, Upazila Agriculture Officer Krishibid Farzana Tasnim, Additional Agriculture Officer Tanmoy Krimar Sarkar and all the Deputy Assistant Agriculture Officers of the Upazila have worked to directly monitor and supervise.
Shukur Sheikh, a farmer from Matiabil area of ​​Baragachi Union, said. I have cultivated Diamond (white) variety potatoes on 12 bighas of land with a tender. So far, the potato plants are very good. I hope the yield will also be good. They are lifting and removing the soil in the rows of potato plants and cleaning the weeds in the field. So far, there are no diseases in the potatoes. He is hoping for a bumper potato harvest if the weather is favorable in the end. Everything has gone up in price. The tender for each bigha of land is 30,000 taka. Planting potatoes on each bigha of land will cost 90,000 to 100,000 taka, including cultivation, seeds, fertilizer, pesticides, irrigation and labor. The tributary (canal) of the nearby Baroni River has been cleaned and water is flowing there. The nearby farmers are cultivating various crops including potatoes, brinjal, tomatoes, onions, wheat and other crops by irrigating them from the water accumulated in that tributary. He also said that if this is dug, water will be available all year round and the farmers will benefit.
Shariful Islam, a farmer from the Panishail area of ​​the same union, said that he has cultivated Cardinal and Diamond (white) varieties of potatoes by taking a tender for 12 bigha of land. The tender for one bigha of land is 20,000 taka, but in many places the land tender is higher. The cost of cultivating one bigha of land is four thousand taka, the cost of planting potatoes is three thousand four hundred taka, and sometimes even more. From planting potatoes to harvesting one bigha of land, it will cost about 80 to 90 thousand taka. Last time, it cost 60 to 65 thousand. This time, the cost of cultivating potatoes is higher because everything is more expensive. Two bags of potash, one bag of TSP (triple super phosphate) and one bag of DAP granular fertilizer are needed for one bigha of potato cultivation. This gives hope for a good yield of potatoes. In the hope of a good yield, potato plants are being maintained.
In the Dangipara area of ​​the upazila, day laborers from the Mormaria area of ​​Darshanpara union, Lutfor Rahman, Hannan Ali, Shahjahan Ali, Saiful Islam, Lutful Bari, Jinnahtullah, Umir Ali, Jakkar Hossain, Sihab Ali, Shamim Hossain, were seen doing maintenance work on the potato field. From morning to noon, they are working on a contract basis and daily wage basis to clear weeds in potato fields and remove soil from rows of trees. They will work from 7 am to 2 pm. Their wages are 2,500 to 3,000 taka per bigha of land. They said that this time the potato cultivation in the field has improved. They said that they are spending their time busy with the farmers in different fields every day.
Working in Matiyabil of Baragachi Union, workers from Panishail area Sirajul Islam, Nazrul Islam, Anarul Islam, Nur Islam said that they are working on potato tree care in Matiyabil of Baragachi Union and removing soil from rows of potato trees and removing weeds from the field. The daily wage is 600 taka from 8 am to 4 pm. This time, the potato trees in the field are good. Farmers are the biggest asset of the country. If the farmers survive, the country will survive, so they are working tirelessly with them in the field to bring smiles to the faces of the farmers. Everything is adulterated now. Fertilizer and pesticide application are not working as before. The use of these substandard adulterated pesticides often damages farmers’ crops. They urged the concerned authorities to monitor the use of adulterated pesticides to prevent adulteration.
According to the Upazila Agriculture Office, there are 10 BCIC approved fertilizer dealers in the upazila and 12 BADC approved dealers. This year, potatoes have been cultivated in more land than the target. This season, the target of potato cultivation in the upazila was set at 3,635 hectares of land, but potatoes have been cultivated in 4,410 hectares of land. With the tireless work of the farmers, the target of potato production in the upazila has been set at 1,19,070 metric tons, at 27 metric tons per hectare.
Upazila Agriculture Officer and Agriculturist Farzana Tasnim said that potatoes are one of the most important cash crops in this region. Since the soil in this region is suitable for potato cultivation, marginal farmers are cultivating potatoes. The Agriculture Office continues to provide proper advice, direct technical assistance and guidance to potato farmers at the field level. They are providing round-the-clock advice to the farmers through pesticide application and balanced fertilizer management to increase potato cultivation and production. Due to the good weather this season, the incidence of diseases and pests in the potato fields has been very low so far. If there is no damage due to natural disasters and the weather is favorable, there is a possibility of a bumper potato harvest in the upazila. He believes that the potato production rate will increase. Farmers will be able to benefit if they get good prices in the market. He expressed hope that the increase in potato production will help change the fate of local farmers.
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